Getting a good night’s sleep is important for any trip, but it’s downright vital if you’re going on an extended backpacking trip. Your body has to recover from walking and hiking all day, and this backpacking gear can ensure you end up with a quality night’s sleep:
L. Bean Down Sleeping Bag with DownTek
Obviously if you’re in the extreme cold, you’ll want a heated tent. For all other situations, the L.L Bean Down Sleeping Bag will be more than accommodating.
This thick, full bag has a mummy design to fit to the normal shape of the human body, and you’ll find it’s roomier than most other sleeping bags. It also is made with “DownTek 650-fill down, which is a fancy way to say the sleeping bag maintains loft in damp weather by absorbing moisture and drying very quickly.
In addition, the nylon shell has a water-repellent coating and a storage sack so you can keep you other most important items with you.
Sea to Summit Comfort Light Sleeping Mat
No products found.
If you’ve got back issues or if you just want some extra support while sleeping, then you should invest in the lightweight and compact Comfort Light Sleeping Matt from Sea to Summit.
Minimalist backpackers love this sleeping mad because the sleeping bad provides enough comfort to sleep, but is still compact enough so that it doesn’t take too much space. As the name would imply, the Comfort Light Sleeping Mat is ultra-comfortable.
Seriously, we dare you to try to avoid falling asleep on this mat. It’s just not possible. It does cost around $140, but it’s durability and ultra comfort more than make up for the price.
Backpacking Gear for Hygiene
Just because you’re out in the mountains fully absorbed in nature doesn’t mean you should forget about your personal hygiene. In fact, that’s also the worst thing you can do.
Sure, you won’t really be able to get a traditional shower, and yeah you’re clothes might start to stink, but there are still some basic hygiene practices you should follow.
Here’s some gear to help you have some at least a little bit of personal hygiene during your next backpacking trip:
Scrubba Wash Bag
No products found.
If you’re on an extended backpacking trip, then there are probably only so many sets of clothes you brought. You’ll need to clean clothes at some point, and the Scrubba Wash Bag is the perfect piece of backpacking gear for the job.
This lightweight bag can fit almost a full set of clothes. Simply put in your dirty clothes, water, and detergent and then press and rub your clothes against the internal flexible washboard.
Then, rinse with clean water and hang the clothes or lay dry and you’ve got clean(ish) clothes in minutes!
Sea to Summit Natural Wilderness Wipes
- 100% Viscose fiber.
- Extra thick wipes.
- Contains aloe vera and vitamin E.
- Skin friendly. Re-sealable packet.
- Length 12 in/30.5 cm. Width 8 in/20 cm.
At some point during your backpacking trip, you’re going to get dirty. It’s inevitable. There’s seriously no way around it. Baby wipes are often the preferred cleaning item for basic cleaning, but they don’t biodegrade easily, and they aren’t good for anything other than wiping away dirt.
Natural Wilderness Wipes from Sea to Summit on the other hand can eliminate dirt or clean up a scraped arm or leg, and you won’t smell like a baby.
Best of all, these wipes are unscented, contain aloe vera for healing scrapes, and biodegrade quickly so you don’t have to worry about littering.
The Rest
So we’ve got sleeping and hygiene covered, what else are we forgetting? Before you go on your next backpacking trip, make sure you have these items:
Basic First Aid Kit
- Treat cuts and scrapes, sprains, insect bites, headaches, and allergic reactions.
- Small and lightweight, stash this 1-pound medical kit in your car.
- Enough supplies for up to four travelers on a day trip in labeled injury-specific pockets.
- This kit includes supplies for wounds, blisters, fractures/sprains, and common medications.
- Provide fast and effective first aid with supplies organized into injury-specific pockets.
You never know when someone will fall and sprain an ankle, suffer a cut or laceration, or have another medical emergency.
It’s important you have a basic medical kit to treat the most common injuries so you can at least prevent the situation from getting worse before professional treatment can be administered. The Adventure Medical Kit has everything you could need for first aid and its’ specifically geared towards those who are spending time outdoor.
Basic Cooking & Dining Kit
- Crushproof and heat-resistant.
- Convenient folding handle locks into place for cooking.
- Unique bowl + mug solution with low center of gravity.
- Eliminate spills while the insulating sleeve keeps your drinks hot.
- Ingenious, welded stuff sack holds set while traveling.
If you’re backpacking far enough away from a campsite that you’ll be gone for a few days, then you’ll need a basic cooking & dining kit. The GSI Halulite Microdualist has a collection of items perfect for cooking small meals while backpacking.
The kit contains two bowls, two mugs with lids, two sporks, a pot lid that doubles as a colander, and a pot. If you’re in a pinch and need to cook something outdoors, this kit is perfect. Plus, it all packs neatly into the pot so you won’t take up too much space in your backpack.
A GPS/Compass
Nowadays, most people just use a GPS, but if you want, you can be old school and kick it with a compass too. Experienced backpackers know that it’s very easy to get lost without knowing it, and having a method to track where your campsite is located is essential.
Lock in the coordinates of your campsite and bring a GPS or compass so you can make sure you can find your way back if you do end up lost.